When the Penn wrestling team got the news that its head coach was leaving, the man who will temporarily replace him clutched a notepad on which he had scribbled his thoughts. Rob Eiter wanted to address the team's concerns and make sure, he said, that "nothing got out of hand."
He said the Quakers took the news well and that he didn't need his notes.
But that was only the first challenge that Eiter will face as the interim coach of Penn's wrestling program.
Zeke Jones's resignation late last week gave Eiter, his longtime friend and college roommate, a temporary stay at the helm. And it gave Penn a 54-day deadline if it wants a replacement before the season starts. The coaching staff will meet with Athletic Department officials tomorrow to lay out a timetable for the job search.
The Athletic Department did not make any senior officials available for comment yesterday. Jones could not be reached on his cell phone.
Two senior wrestlers, Cesar Grajales and Matt Dragon, each said that Jones's new job as National Freestyle Coach by USA Wrestling was a big step up.
They were also anxious to see the team's leadership firmed up. But they said that wrestlers can adapt to a new coach without too much trouble.
Jones will move to Colorado Springs for his new position. He had served as the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Coach at the 2004 Athens games. The previous National Freesytle Coach resigned last week to take over the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, with which Jones has also been involved.
"This is news over in Russia, over in Iran," Eiter said.
Eiter declined to speculate on the difficulty of finding another college coach so close to the season. He said he "was hoping" that Penn would consider an internal hire.
In the meantime, he and assistant Josh Henson must keep things humming. October is among the busiest months of the year for athletic recruiting, and Eiter said he would remind recruits that they should choose Penn for its academics and tradition, not for Jones himself.
"It would have been a surprise if [Jones] had gone to a different college," Eiter said. "In that [respect], it's easier for people to swallow."
Eiter is entering his third season with the Quakers. He wrestled at Arizona State, where he was a year behind Jones.
